Coke in hot water

The Kerala High Court has ordered status quo to be maintained on the cancellation of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Limited's licence to operate its bottling plant at Plachimada in Kerala. The licence had been cancelled by the Perumatty gram panchayat in Palakkad district of Kerala, following complaints that the company was creating water scarcity in the area by overexploiting groundwater.

Justice K Thankappan also ordered the state government to decide within a month on the representation that the company plans to file against the panchayat's decision. On its part, the company contended that it had been denied hearing by the panchayat before it took the decision.